


making 'em yours (making 'em mine)

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, California, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Disney, Disney World & Disneyland, Driving, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Past Obi-Wan Kenobi/Quinlan Vos, Past Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Pining, Professor Obi-Wan Kenobi, Road Trips, Sharing a Bed, The Author Regrets Nothing, domestic 501st, everyone ships obikin, i'm a disney nut and i'm sure ahsoka would be too, literature porn, musician!anakin, senator!padmé
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:15:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24492631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The team tackles Disneyland with the goal of making Obi-Wan and Anakin realize their feelings for one another. In the best way possible, it doesn't go to plan.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 30
Kudos: 85





	1. heartbeat of a holiday

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! I wanted to write just a little bit of happiness to brighten your day. Please enjoy. And yes, these idiots would _totally_ all wear those cheesy mass-produced family disney trip t-shirts. Padmé probably forced them to. (If you don't know what i'm talking about: see [here](https://www.travelingmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/best-day-ever-shirts-1024x819.jpg), [here](https://www.logantolayla.com/sites/loganslocker.indiemade.com/files/imagecache/im_clientsite_product_zoom/disney_family_2019_tshirt_custom_mickey_ears_1.png), and [here](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bd/6d/a3/bd6da31769bca192b694dbda83efff91.jpg)).
> 
> Fic title and all chapter titles are from "[Making Memories](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPFdMVfbMgA)," which is from the 1990 Disneyland Singalong Songs. I grew up on this DVD and it's the first thing I think about when I hear the word _Disney._

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ahsoka puts her plan into action with Padmé's help, Anakin is vocal about his hatred for anything _other_ than Dunkin' Donuts, and Rex, Obi-Wan, and Sabé are just along for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from "[I'm Walkin' Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA](https://youtu.be/1coLt3qCc7I?t=290)" which is, again, from the 1990 VHS tape.

If there's one thing Ahsoka Tano knows how to do well, it's plan. There's nothing like the sight of paper and pen and _checkboxes._ It helps her to organize her jumbled thoughts—it always has—into something a little more manageable. No task is too insurmountable when she has the power of checklists and forethought on her side.

Despite her love of planning, however, there's one goal she's never quite managed to achieve. She affectionately terms it the _getting Anakin and Obi-Wan the fuck together_ plan in her mind, and she's never considered attempting it until now. It's hard, but it's no match for her, and soon she's scribbling notes down on a page in her messy scrawl.

When she finishes, she sits back and observes. Ahsoka’s plan is simple enough in theory: coerce Obi-Wan and Anakin into spending more time with each other. She hopes it will lead to the obvious—the two best friends realizing just how oblivious they are and confessing their feelings to each other. Preferably while in line for a ride. At Disney.

She jots the Disney part down as a joke. If Anakin saw it, he would tease her mercilessly. Ahsoka’s always had a deep, all-encompassing love of all things Disney. She practically grew up on the animated Disney movies while jumping from foster home to foster home. She's a sucker for a happy ending, a gorgeous pair of Minnie ears, and overpriced park tickets.

It very quickly becomes _not_ a joke, however, all thanks to Padmé Amidala’s ability to pull a few strings. Ahsoka doesn’t even _mention_ the plan to Padmé; she doesn’t have to. Padmé is already caught up in visions of their friend group at Disneyland, eating Mickey ice creams and standing in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle—all without Ahsoka's help this time.

"A road trip!" Padmé exclaims. "How much fun would that be?!"

Anakin and Obi-Wan are up for it almost instantly when Padmé mentions it, offhand, which is a little suspicious. Ahsoka has known Anakin Skywalker since she was a teenager in the foster care system, and he has never _not_ taken an opportunity to tease her about Disney.

"Can't I enjoy the fruits of Padmé's labor?" he complains when Ahsoka asks him about it. From where he's standing beside his friend, Obi-Wan stifles a laugh, and Ahsoka grins at him.

"Be thankful that _Senator Amidala,"_ Obi-Wan says, stressing the woman's title, "has enough money and prestige to invite you on a trip to Disney without any headache."

Anakin grins down at his friend—he's always been taller than their entire friend group, and Obi-Wan regards him with a brief frown. "Obi-Wan, I _am_ the headache."

Obi-Wan sighs. "Too true," he says, placing a hand on Anakin's shoulder briefly. Something passes between them, unspoken, as Ahsoka watches, and Anakin jerks away awkwardly.

"I'm—I've got to go pack," he manages, almost biting out the words. "Uh... see you later."

And then he flees. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka watch his back as he runs up the stairs to his apartment, and she offers the other man a commiserating glance.

"It's fine," Obi-Wan tells her, though he doesn't sound convinced. He's frowning at the spot where Anakin had stood less than thirty seconds ago. "He'll snap out of it once we're on the road, young one."

Ahsoka makes a noncommittal noise and offers her own excuse before she bids Obi-Wan goodbye and leaves the apartment complex. He and Anakin will probably make up instantly without talking about their feelings, she thinks, annoyed. 

Soon, however, she's caught up in trip preparations and she quite frankly forgets all about her plan. Padmé asks for her input on _everything—_ from road trip motels to which park tickets to buy—and it's kind of nice to be so included.

Ahsoka balks when Padmé brings up the topic of group t-shirts. "No," she says firmly. "No way. I am _not_ wearing—"

"Come on, Ahsoka!" Padmé tries. She swivels her laptop around, displaying an entire Pinterest board filled with custom-made Disney t-shirts. Some are nicer than others; Ahsoka winces at the sight of a fluorescent orange shirt displaying the words _Disney-bound 2019!_ in black-outlined block letters."It'll be fun!"

"I will _not_ wear that," Ahsoka repeats, less sure this time. "And neither will Anakin."

"He just needs the right motivation," Padmé promises. There's a glint in her eye that Ahsoka doesn't like the look of. 

In the end, Padmé orders t-shirts for their group, despite Ahsoka's (and Anakin's) complaints. Obi-Wan doesn't say anything he merely looks at Padmé's proposed design and sighs, resigned to his fate.

They don't come out _that_ bad, Ahsoka thinks as she pulls hers from the box two weeks later. Padmé had opted for grey t-shirts instead of the awful orange ones (thank God), and **501st Disney Road Trip 2020!** is spelt out in sweeping black letters, with a little castle logo underneath it.

The five-oh-first is the unofficial name of their friend group, which includes the four of them and Anakin's and Padmé's bodyguards. Padmé, as a Senator in the U.S. Senate, is required to keep protection with her at all times in the form of a small woman named Sabé. Ahsoka doesn't let Sabé's size fool her, though; the woman is deadly with a gun in her hand and fight in her eyes.

Ahsoka gets on well with Anakin's bodyguard, a stocky ex-military man from New Zealand named Rex. Since Anakin dominates headlines as a musician, even though his music is mainly alternative, he requires protection as well. Rex and Anakin get on like a house on fire. The man is impossible not to like—his grin is contagious.

Even though Anakin had finally given in to the t-shirts after a while, he'd steadfastly refused to have their surnames listed on them. "We're not a law firm," he'd told Padmé, much to Ahsoka and Obi-Wan's amusement, as they'd sat around eating dinner one night. Ahsoka had snorted and almost choked on her spaghetti.

"Ani," she'd tried, pouting, but Obi-Wan had just shaken his head. 

"I agree with Anakin," he'd said, firm but not unkind, and Ahsoka almost missed the look of gratitude that Anakin shot his friend, soft and clearly not meant for her eyes.

So, yeah. Getting Obi-Wan and Anakin together has fallen down Ahsoka's list of priorities lately. That doesn't mean she hasn't forgotten about it, though—when she tells Rex, Padmé, and Sabé about her plan, their faces break out into conspiratorial smiles.

"Fucking finally," Padmé says, and Ahsoka looks up at her in surprise. Rex laughs at the expression on the younger girl's face.

"Someone's gotta get those two idiots together," he tells her. "If anyone can do it, it's you."

"Uh, thanks... I think?"

Sabé rolls her eyes as she leans forward to put a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. "Don't listen to him, Ahsoka. We'll help you if you need us."

And with that at the forefront of Ahsoka's mind, the group disperses to prepare to leave for California the next day. Ahsoka makes sure she has plenty of snacks—Bugles, Goldfish crackers, popcorn—and that her iPod is loaded with as many songs as she can find. She's not sure she can tolerate three days worth of Anakin Skywalker in close quarters. As long as he doesn't touch her food, she'll be fine.

The morning of their departure dawns bright and clear. There's hardly a cloud in the sky, and Boston's skyline gleams bright in the early summer sunrise. Unfortunately, Anakin is already in a grumpy mood—he hates being woken up before eight A.M. at the least, and he scowls at the clock. It reads _6:25,_ blinking in blue light.

"Why do we have to leave so fucking _early_ ," he groans into Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I don't care about traffic. I care about _sleep._ "

"You can sleep in the car," Padmé tells him in her usual matter-of-fact way as they crowd around Sabé's minivan. (Ahsoka had been surprised to find that Sabé even knew what a minivan _was_ , let alone owned one).

"Cross country road trip!" she calls, gleeful, as she throws herself into the minivan with abandon. "Last one in is a rotten egg!"

She hears Anakin's grumble of "Not all of us are as young as you, Snips," as the others climb into the car, arranging themselves accordingly. Padmé had volunteered earlier to drive the first leg of the journey, all the way to Buffalo, NY. She's sitting up front with Sabé in the passenger seat. Sabé is casually cleaning her nails with a knife, and Ahsoka quickly averts her gaze. In the middle row, Anakin and Obi-Wan have claimed the captains' chairs. Ahsoka can hear them arguing fondly, and she grins.

That just leaves her and Rex in the back row. Thankfully, Ahsoka is short enough that her legs have plenty of room back here (finally, an advantage she has over Anakin!). Rex looks a little more squished.

"New York, here we come, baby!" Padmé calls back. She grins at Ahsoka in the rearview mirror as she starts the car with a rumble of ignition. "Does everybody have everything? Disneyland or bust!"

"Disneyland or bust!" Ahsoka yells back, raising her fist in the air. Rex rolls his eyes when she nudges him, but he repeats the sentiment. 

Anakin shifts in his seat as he watches Padmé pull the car out of the garage and onto the street. "New drinking game," he decides quickly with a mischievous smile. "Take a shot every time Obi-Wan sighs dramatically at someone's driving."

Obi-Wan gapes at him. "Anakin!" he splutters. "I do not—"

"You do know that consuming alcohol from an open container while on the road is illegal, sir," Rex remarks in amusement. "Don't you?"

"Anakin Skywalker," Padmé says, deathly serious. The car goes quiet when she uses her senator-voice. "There will be no drinking in this car, judgmental Obi-Wan Kenobi or not. Am I clear?"

Anakin swallows audibly. "Crystal," he croaks out.

They sit in silence for a while longer as Padmé navigates the Boston streets with an expert touch. With a glance over her shoulder, she takes the turnoff for I-90 west. When Padmé merges onto the Pike, she adjusts the steering wheel with a little bit too much force, and it sends all of them flying forward against their seatbelts.

Obi-Wan, true to form, lets out a heavy sigh.

"Take a shot!" Anakin chirps helpfully.

"Anakin, so help me—"

This, Ahsoka realizes faintly, is going to be a _long_ car ride. She puts in her earbuds to block out the sound of arguing and a flustered Obi-Wan, and closes her eyes as they soar along the highway in the direction of California.

* * *

New York State arrives fairly quickly. They've only had to stop for two bathroom breaks so far, after almost _five_ hours of driving. When Anakin had clamored for a third, along with a pit stop at Dunkin' Donuts, Sabé had shot him a look almost frightening in its intensity. The subject was dropped.

"I don't see why we couldn't have stopped at Dunkin'," Anakin complains as he climbs out of the car, stretching his arms above his head in the temperate New York air. "Tim Hortons sucks ass."

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan says, shooting a horrified look at the New Yorkers around them in the parking lot.

"Coffee is coffee, Skyguy," Ahsoka tells him as she bounds ahead, situating herself at the end of the coffee shop's line. "Plus, Tim Hortons has good grilled sandwiches."

"So does Dunkin'!" Anakin defends hotly. He resigns himself to his fate with a sigh as he moves to stand beside Ahsoka. They get a few dirty looks, probably because they're wearing the infernal t-shirts, but none of the New Yorkers seem to care about Anakin's vehement hatred of all things Tim Hortons.

Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan quickly make their way to the front of line, and Ahsoka rattles off their group's order. Obi-Wan gives her an impressed look, and she shrugs. She's got a good memory, okay? It's nothing to marvel at.

Soon, they're carrying two trays of drinks and bags of food back to the car for lunch. Ahsoka slides open the door and passes Padmé and Sabé their lattes. Rex takes his hot chocolate—she tries not to laugh when he opens the lid and licks the whipped cream off, giving him the impression of a white beard around his mouth—and Ahsoka jumps back into the back of the car, taking her own coffee and grilled sandwich with her.

Anakin wolfs his food down so fast he almost chokes on a mouthful. Obi-Wan has to pat his back as he coughs.

"Ew," Ahsoka complains. "Close your mouth, Skyguy, nobody wants to see your chewed-up food."

In direct rebellion, Anakin displays a mouthful of half-eaten food in her direction.

"You two are children," Obi-Wan says with a sigh, shaking his head fondly. 

"Oh, you know you love me," Anakin says brightly, throwing an arm across Obi-Wan's shoulders. Ahsoka exchanges a wry look with Padmé.

Sabé, from the driver's seat, calls, "Enough back there. Kenobi, Skywalker, one word out of you and I chuck you out of this car onto the side of the road. Padmé's too soft on you."

"Aw, Sabé," Anakin teases, leaning forward as Sabé starts the car and pulls back onto I-90. "I didn't know you felt that way."

"One word," she threatens again. Anakin shuts up.

The next few hours pass quickly. Anakin agrees to switch seats with Ahsoka, and she spends her time playing games with Obi-Wan, including license plate bingo. Padmé maintains that she isn't playing—she's working on senator stuff, with papers strewn all around her—but she shrieks out when she sees a Californian plate.

"California!" she calls, sounding extremely excited. "Add California to the list!"

Ahsoka marks down _California_ on the paper right next to where she'd put _Pennsylvania._ "That's twenty plates," she remarks. "Thirty left to go!"

"I thought you weren't playing, Padmé," Anakin snipes from the back row, where he's showing Rex some of his sheet music and lyric ideas for his next album. Rex, who clearly has a vague knowledge of music, is nodding along. 

"Neither are you," Padmé calls back. She cranes her neck to look at the cars around them as Sabé sighs. "Oh! Tennessee!"

"We already have Tennessee," Obi-Wan says, not unkindly. "See if you can find more of the Midwest states."

"You know what the Midwest _is?"_ Ahsoka remarks, no small amount of wonder in her voice. "You?"

Obi-Wan tenses. "Just because I'm British doesn't mean I don't know my way around this country," he defends hotly. Ahsoka shares a grin with Anakin—she enjoys teasing Obi-Wan about his accent. It always serves to get him hot and bothered.

Hours pass. The scenery outside changes from the forests and hills of New York State to the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. Their little van passes into Ohio. They change drivers every few hours—Sabé switches with Anakin, whose reckless driving makes Obi-Wan curse aloud. Rex takes a turn, as well as Obi-Wan and finally Ahsoka. At the age of twenty-one, she's driven plenty before, but never for so long on the freeway. Anakin sits beside her in the passenger seat, making snarky comments about her merges and the other cars around them in order to keep Ahsoka amused.

He frowns at a small blue mini cooper with several bumper stickers plastered on the back, including a particularly grievous **Trump 2020** sticker. "If you _accidentally_ crashed into the back of him, could you make sure he's at fault?" he asks Ahsoka. "Make sure you ruin his paintwork, too."

 _"Anakin Skywalker!"_ Sabé yells from the back row, loud enough to deafen. "There will be _no_ accidental crashes on this trip, do you understand? No matter _what_ the sticker on the back of their car says."

"I'm just saying—"

"Careful, Anakin," Obi-Wan remarks with a grin from behind them. "Ahsoka's the only one here with a clean driving record."

Anakin groans at the old, familiar topic. "When are you gonna let that go? I told you, Obi-Wan, it was the other guy's fault!"

"That may be true, but you should have braked—"

Anakin tunes them out with a grin on her face, and turns her gaze forward to watch the Midwest widen its arms around them, almost in welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not sure about this first part—it feels a little clunky to me—but i decided to just post it. fuck it. let me know what you think.


	2. catching little pieces of time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the gang endures more driving and _finally_ arrive in California, and Obi-Wan reflects on his relationship with Anakin. (And pines. A lot).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally updated. Are you proud of me? Obi-Wan POV, because you all deserve it. I got a little carried away with backstory, too. Unbeta'd as usual, so any mistakes are mine.
> 
> Rating got bumped up to T for language/mild sexual stuff. You know the drill.

"Welcome to Iowa, y'all!"

Obi-Wan winces from where he's standing in the midst of a highway service station parking lot. Anakin's voice is loud and obnoxious as he disembarks from the van, and he spreads his arms wide to encompass the dark, star-filled sky above them. It looks pretty much the same as the night sky in Boston, but Obi-Wan has never really been able to see nature like Anakin does.

He smiles at Anakin in fond amusement; Obi-Wan doesn't know what makes Iowa any different from the other five states they've driven through in the past twenty hours, but it seems to matter to Anakin. The thought of Anakin's bright, almost child-like excitement at all the places they've passed through so far makes Obi-Wan's heart beat a little faster in his chest.

 _Fuck._ He cuts that dangerous train of thought off immediately. It must be the exhaustion making him feel this way; yes, that's the only reasonable answer.

"Skyguy, I don't think they say _y'all_ in Iowa," Ahsoka remarks skeptically. She leans her head out of the van's window in order to stick her tongue out at Anakin. Obi-Wan sighs in long-suffering bemusement as Anakin returns the favor.

"Don't take too long," Padmé warns from the driver's seat, Rex still asleep beside her. "We have two more hours to go before we can stop for the night."

"Sure they do," Anakin defends as he falls into step beside Obi-Wan, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm sure I've heard Iowans say _y'all_ before."

Obi-Wan makes a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. He resists the urge to sling an arm over Anakin's shoulder and instead looks around at the almost-empty parking lot—it's one A.M. here, since the rest of this damned country refuses to run on a single time zone. There are only a few other travelers making their way to the rest stop service station.

The stores are closed inside, but thankfully the bathrooms are open twenty-four hours. Anakin waits for Obi-Wan outside the door; Obi-Wan is quick and efficient, and as he's washing his hands with the generic pink soap from the dispenser, he can hear Anakin's voice clearly through the wall.

 _"You're from Iowa? Listen—I know this is weird, but can you say_ y'all _f_ _or me?"_

Obi-Wan reaches for the paper towels and exits the restroom before Anakin can successfully harass more Iowans. The man currently standing at Anakin's side, presumably from Iowa, looks exhausted and annoyed out of his mind. Before he can curse Anakin out, Obi-Wan grabs his friend's arm and says, "I apologize. He means no offense," and drags Anakin away from the restrooms. 

Anakin huffs, frowning, as he exclaims, "Hey! I wasn't being rude."

Obi-Wan levels him with The Look as they step out into the cool night air.

A beat passes.

"Fine," Anakin grumbles, right on cue. "Maybe it was a little... I don't know."

"Insolent?" Obi-Wan suggests, stroking his beard in order to hide his amusement. Anakin nudges him in the arm as he adds, "Impolite? _Boorish?"_

"Oh, fuck you," Anakin says, but the corners of his lips turn up into a grin. "We can't all be _English professors,_ old man."

"No, we can't. _Someone_ has to keep the masses happy with their music," Obi-Wan points out. 

Anakin stares at him, genuinely horrified. "Did you just imply that my music is _mainstream?_ I'm clearly alternative!" 

Obi-Wan turns his laugh into a cough. "Really? Because the Pop Billboard says otherwise!"

Anakin fake-retches, bending over mockingly even as he makes eye contact with Obi-Wan. "Pop Billboard can suck my dick," he says mulishly.

Obi-Wan splutters an, _"Anakin!"_ as Anakin throws his head back and laughs, bright and clear in the night air, and Obi-Wan thinks, _Fuck._

It's too late: he's already fallen hard.

* * *

_Five years before Padmé even dreams of attempting a friend group trip to Disneyland, Obi-Wan first meets the force of nature that is Anakin Skywalker in a bar, somewhere deep in Downtown Crossing. He's too busy drowning his sorrows in alcohol to notice the younger man in the corner, being mobbed by girls and guys alike. His thoughts are consumed with the existence of one Quinlan Vos._

Fucking Quin. _It had been_ Quin's _suggestion that Quinlan and Obi-Wan date in the first place. Obi-Wan shouldn't be surprised that Vos had also been the one to end things when they got too serious—the other man has a carefree promiscuous reputation to uphold, after all, Obi-Wan's feelings be damned—but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt._

_He sits there, staring into his glass, vaguely aware of the crowd flowing around him. So what if he's usually an esteemed English professor at Harvard? Tonight, he's come across the Charles River to find a way to forget a particularly awful breakup. Here, in this bar, he's just another face in the crowd._

_Obi-Wan raises his gaze, and his eyes immediately meet the eyes of the man across the room._

_There's no sparks, no fireworks, no nothing. No feeling that alerts Obi-Wan to the monumental importance of this moment. (He's never believed in love at first sight. Obi-Wan thinks it's rather stupid, to be honest)._

_Of course, when he covers_ Romeo and Juliet _during his freshman Lit class, he makes sure to emphasize the symbolism and all-encompassing gravity of Romeo and Juliet's first meeting. The moment when their eyes meet and the room shrinks to just the two of them. It's a common enough trope that Obi-Wan provides his students with other examples of it; he even devotes an entire class to a showing of_ West Side Story. _The students watch in a spellbound silence, always enraptured by the moment when Tony and Maria see each other for the first time._

 _But those love-at-first sight stories always,_ always _end in tragedy. After years of reading and rereading and analyzing and writing papers—for which Quin would usually call him a stuffy old man—Obi-Wan knows what to avoid. He knows better than to trust fate._

_Locking eyes with Anakin Skywalker for the first time isn't magical in itself. No—the magic comes later._

_At least he has Anakin's phone number, scribbled hastily on Obi-Wan hand as Anakin gets dragged away by his adoring fans. A quick Google search yields results: alternative-slash-indie Boston-born musician Anakin Skywalker. The latest teenage heartthrob, and a regular on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart. When Obi-Wan looks up some of his songs, he's surprised to find that he's heard them on the radio before. Apparently, Kiss 108 isn't just pop and awful country music._

_He texts Anakin first, an unobtrusive message that could easily go ignored by a famous musician with much better things to do. Almost as soon as he presses_ send _, the three dots pop up, indicating the composition of a message. Obi-Wan's phone buzzes when he receives it:_ finally! i thought you'd never text _along with a smiley face that borders on creepy._

_Obi-Wan falls into a routine with this strange man. They text every morning and every night. Their conversations turn longer and longer as Anakin learns more about him in a series of rapid-fire questions. Those text conversations turn into phone calls turn into FaceTimes turn into coffee dates. And Obi-Wan finally allows himself to hope, a bright spark of something in his chest that makes him feel dizzy with want._

_The entire time, Anakin has never explicitly asked Obi-Wan out. It's always been voiced casually, a friendly meet-up at the Newbury Street Starbucks before Anakin rushes off to the studio to record the song he's working on. A songwriting session—also known as Anakin picking Obi-Wan's english professor brain for good word choice—in the middle of the Downtown Caffè Nero, papers spread everywhere. Dinner at Happy Lamb Hot Pot in Cambridge as Obi-Wan tells Anakin about a particularly frustrating sophomore he'd had in his Lit through Film a few years ago. It's never been a_ date _, per se, but there are undertones._

 _Anakin, looking down at Obi-Wan's lips for a split second before turning his gaze away. Their legs brushing underneath the table. Obi-Wan paying for Anakin's food, and vice versa sometimes. Obi-Wan sees it all, and he_ wants _, so desperately he almost forgets the burgeoning sense of hurt that Quinlan had left him with a few months ago._

 _Then Anakin Skywalker introduces his girlfriend, Padmé Amidala—the Massachusetts_ Senator _Padmé Amidala—to Obi-Wan one night, and everything changes._

 _Everything about Padmé Amidala is glamorous—from the designer clothes to the tasteful mix of jewelry to the way she holds herself, confident but not brash, with a grace that clearly continues to escape Anakin. Obi-Wan takes one look at her and thinks,_ oh, _with a sinking heart that has nothing to do with the adoring look on Anakin's face as he stares up at her. Nope. Absolutely nothing._

 _He's not jealous; not exactly. Anakin Skywalker is a stunning force of nature that Obi-Wan is lucky to have even befriended. He's content enough to sit at Anakin's side as a friend, steady, warm,_ patient, _and nurse the tell-tale fractures in his newly broken heart._

_But Padmé—Padmé is more than Obi-Wan expects her to be. She marches into his life with a to-do list—some might call it an agenda—and turns it upside immediately, inviting Obi-Wan to red-carpet events and senate hearings alike._

_"They know me," she explains to Obi-Wan one time, when he inquires just how she procured her latest set of invitations. "It's easy enough to change a plus one to a plus two if you know which strings to pull."_

_So Obi-Wan graciously accepts every invitation Padmé sends his way and tags along with the "Dream Couple," as the tabloids have nicknamed them. (Which probably isn't a good idea, because it means he has to deal with Anakin in a_ suit _nearly every weekend. The sight makes Obi-Wan's mouth go dry and his cheeks flush bright red)._

 _It's a dizzying two years of almost-fame—what amounts to hanging onto his friends' coattails—until the inevitable happens: Anakin and Padmé break up. There are no hard feelings, but for the first time, Obi-Wan allows himself to_ hope.

* * *

Thankfully, the van reaches the motel they'd intended to stop at fairly quickly with Sabé at the wheel again. Obi-Wan's sure he saw the speedometer hit ninety back there, but the roads are desolate, so he's not bothered about it. They'd encountered no cops on the highway so far, luckily, and he wants to keep it that way. Their trip to Disney would make headlines for sure: _Senator Amidala and musician Anakin Skywalker caught in Iowa for speeding, along with prestigious Harvard professor!_

Fuck. It would just be another embarrassing thing for his students to find out about during the fall semester.

Rex insists on carrying all of their duffel bags into the motel, muscles bulging, and the lady at the front desk eyes them in exhausted suspicion as she passes over the key. Soon enough, the six of them are settled into a motel room that's far too small, with only two queen-sized beds and a worn sofa to boot.

Ahsoka immediately calls dibs on the sofa; Obi-Wan watches with thinly veiled amusement as she throws herself onto the dusty piece of furniture, coughing at the cloud of dirt that she unsettles. Ahsoka is like a cat, however, and she settles onto the rough surface quickly before curling up and closing her eyes. Next to her, Rex immediately offers to sleep on the floor. He throws his duffle bag onto the green carpet with finality, so Obi-Wan decides not to argue.

After Rex's show of chivalry, Padmé and Sabé offer to share one of the beds in that effortless way that female friends tend to do. Sabé pulls back the covers and slips inside, motioning for Padmé to follow. Within seconds, they're tucked into bed, grinning from ear to ear as Sabé whispers something into Padmé's ear that makes her giggle aloud.

Which leaves Anakin and Obi-Wan standing there, unsure, in front of the only available bed.

"You'll just have to share," Padmé says firmly, most likely unaware of the internal breakdown that Obi-Wan is currently experiencing at the prospect of sharing a _bed_ with Anakin. "Turn the light off before you get in."

Obi-Wan stares.

"We can... we can share the bed," Anakin says after a long beat, sounding just as affected as Obi-Wan. He sets his bag down, pointedly not looking in his friend's direction. "It's no problem amongst friends, right?"

And _damn,_ that hurts. Obi-Wan barely manages to conceal his flinch. "Of course," he manages finally, not trusting himself to say anything else. He crosses over to his side of the bed and begins to undress for bed, pulling his shirt over his head and unbuckling his trousers.

If Padmé is at all concerned that her ex-boyfriend is currently engaged in friendzoning Obi-Wan, she shows no indication of it. "Go to bed," she groans. "Hurry up."

Obi-Wan notices with faint amusement that both Ahsoka and Rex (and maybe Sabé as well—it's always hard to tell with Padmé's bodyguard) are already sleep. Their heavy breathing rings out throughout the room. Padmé turns over once Anakin reaches up and turns the light off with a _click,_ and soon enough, her breathing joins the others'.

Which leaves him and Anakin. _Alone._

Anakin slides into bed after he pulls his own shirt off over his head. Obi-Wan only has a split second to appreciate the rippling of muscles before Anakin pulls the covers up to his chin and turns over. "Goodnight," he says with finality, facing away from the other man as if he isn't half-naked in _Obi-Wan's fucking bed._

Obi-Wan sighs. He gets into the bed on the other side, making sure to leave at least a foot of room between them at all times. "Goodnight," he offers back, but Anakin is already out for the count with his back to Obi-Wan. He's always been able to fall asleep quickly—Obi-Wan can't even remember how many times Anakin has fallen asleep on his couch before, unbidden—but unfortunately, Obi-Wan doesn't share the talent.

He lies there, awake, for a long time, despite the exhaustion running through his veins. He looks at the pale lines of Anakin's body in the moonlight, soft and alluring and all-too-familiar, and _aches_. Minutes before sleep finally takes him, he lets himself think about how hard it is to be so close to what he wants, yet so far all at once.

* * *

A days or so, Ahsoka volunteers to drive the last thousand miles, because _why not._ It's comfortable and familiar for all of them when she takes the wheel, and Obi-Wan watches as she settles into the driver's seat with ease. Driving across the country like this has done wonders for her confidence, he realizes, and pride blooms in his chest.

He's recovered from the ill-fated night spent sleeping beside his best friend (even though his infernal crush has decided to make life very difficult for him). Obi-Wan's dreams had been filled with flashes of pale skin, Anakin's wide-mouthed grins, and sunshine. When he woke gasping (thankfully before Anakin), he'd very quickly extricated himself from the situation and taken care of his little problem in the shower. _Leaving Anakin none the wiser._

Anakin grins at him now, fully unaware of the blasphemous thoughts on Obi-Wan's mind. "Isn't it beautiful?!" he exclaims, gesturing to the corn-blue sky and fields of crops on either side of their little van.

Obi-Wan does marvel at the sight of the roads like this as they pass, wide and stretched out before them. Back home, the Boston streets are bumpy and packed with traffic, and the sky is constantly obscured by buildings and light pollution alike. Even in Greater London, where he grew up, the traffic is usually jam-packed on the M1 and the roads are interspersed with a liberal amount of roundabouts. Here, Obi-Wan is surrounded by sky, as far as he can see, along with the rolling fields beside the van. He has no idea what state they're in right now—everything had started to look the same once they'd passed the middle of this blasted country.

"It's a _field,_ Anakin," he says, not without patience.

"Fields are beautiful!"

"Two hundred miles left!" Ahsoka exclaims, cutting them off as they pass another sign and throwing in a _whoop_ for good measure. Anakin and Obi-Wan share a look, before repeating the sentiment. Loudly. Out of the rolled-down windows, much to Padmé and Rex's consternation.

The two of them clamber for a spot at the window, hair and laughter blowing in the wind, and Obi-Wan thinks his heart is fit to _burst_ with happiness.

They arrive in Anaheim, California in record time, with the entire group in good spirits from the last day or so of driving. Ahsoka pulls the van up to the Hampton Inn they've made a reservation at and puts it into park. She stares at the wheel, as if she can't quite process the last few days.

The reality of this trip, where they are, finally hits Obi-Wan. He looks to Anakin immediately for comfort, and as usual, the younger man is there with a knowing smile.

"It's okay," he says to Obi-Wan, taking the other man's hand with no hesitation. His voice, when he speaks, is reassuring. "California is great. All these palm trees? _Disneyland?_ You're gonna love it. It's beautiful."

"It really is beautiful," Obi-Wan says, but he's not looking at the palm trees. He gazes at Anakin and thinks, _maybe this will be okay._

_Maybe._

_Just maybe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know about you, but Anakin trying to talk to Iowans gives me "Flameo, hotman!" energy. Anakin = Aang and there is nothing you can do to disprove it, sorry not sorry.
> 
> Also, I've never been to Iowa, so. I'm sorry. More Disneyland next time. I promise. [This](https://www.google.com/travel/hotels/Anaheim/entity/CgsImqXhq7a58dzkARAB?g2lb=2502548%2C4258168%2C4270442%2C4306835%2C4317915%2C4319922%2C4322823%2C4328159%2C4367954%2C4371335%2C4381263%2C4401769%2C4402623%2C4403882%2C4416233%2C4416581%2C4270859%2C4284970%2C4291517%2C4412691&hl=en&gl=uk&un=1&ap=aAE&q=hampton%20inn%20anaheim&rp=ELahyLHilOejogEQmqXhq7a58dzkARCL9_2E4IH8k0A4AUABSAOiAUhIYW1wdG9uIElubiAmIFN1aXRlcyBBbmFoZWltIFJlc29ydCBDb252ZW50aW9uIENlbnRlciwgMTAwIFcgS2F0ZWxsYSBBdmXAAQM&ictx=1&utm_campaign=sharing&utm_medium=link&utm_source=htls&hrf=CgUIrwEQACIDR0JQKhYKBwjkDxAIGAQSBwjkDxAIGAUYASgAqgElCgIIHBIECHMYARICCFESAghYEgIIRxICCDYSAghNEgMInQIYAqoBBwoDCPABGACqARMKAggSEgMImwESAghoEgIIbBgBqgEaCgIIFBICCHASAggdEgIIGxICCFISAghOGAGqAQcKAwicARgAqgEHCgMIqAEYAKoBEgoCCCUSAgh4EgIIeRICCHoYAaoBFgoCCBESAghAEgIIOBICCFcSAggrGAGqATQKAgguEgIIVhIDCJkBEgIIOhIDCIcBEgIIGhICCD0SAghLEgIIDBICCFMSAggoEgIIJxgBqgEGCgIILBgAqgEOCgIIUBICCBkSAghMGAGqAQYKAggEGACqAR4KAgg1EgIIExICCAsSAggyEgIIXRICCBASAghEGAHCAQIYc5IBAiAB) is the hotel they're staying at.
> 
> Come chat on [Tumblr](https://anakinnope.tumblr.com/).


End file.
